Zelensky Faces Uprising Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Crisis

Motivate Life

Zelensky Faces Uprising: Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Crisis Ukraine is erupting in protest after President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a controversial law stripping two key anti-corruption agencies of their independence. The move sparked mass demonstrations in Kyiv and beyond, with thousands accusing the government of authoritarianism. Western allies have voiced concern, warning that the law could derail Ukraine’s EU integration path. Will this decision reverse years of anti-corruption progress, or is it a necessary reset? 🇺🇦 Watch how Ukraine’s battle for justice is clashing with its fight for survival. #Zelensky #Ukraine #Protest #Corruption #EU #NABU #SAP #Kyiv #Democracy #UkraineWar

Transcript

00:00Backlash grows after Zelenskyy strips anti-corruption bodies of independent

00:08Ukraine government is facing growing backlash after President Vladimir Zelenskyy signed a

00:13law limiting the independence of two anti-corruption agencies. The contentious

00:17bill grants control of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau NABU and Specialized Anti-Corruption

00:22Prosecutor's Office SAP to the Prosecutor General, who is appointed by the President.

00:27Thousands demonstrated in Kyu for a second night on Wednesday.

00:31Many brandishing signs criticizing the government.As protesters gathered,

00:35Zelenskyy acknowledged public anger and said he would submit a new bill

00:39to Parliament in response to the criticism. Although he offered no further details about

00:44what it would contain, Kyu's Western allies expressed their displeasure at the law.

00:48A spokesman for European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen said she had requested

00:53explanations from the Ukrainian government. Zelenskyy argued provisions needed to be taken

00:57as NABU and SAP were letting criminal proceedings stagnate for years, and insisted they had to be

01:03cleansed from Russian influence. He signed the bill into law late on Tuesday after it received the

01:08backing of 263 MPs out of three to four. Many Ukrainians outside Parliament the Rada disagree

01:14with the decision. Critics say the law will severely undermine the NABU and SAP's authority

01:19and effectiveness. Thousands gathered outside the President's office in Kyu to protest on Tuesday,

01:25with smaller rallies also taking place in Odessa, Dnipro, Lviv, and Sumi.

01:31Despite the continued threat from nightly Russian aerial attacks, on Wednesday evening thousands filled

01:36one of Kyu's main squares, among them young army veterans, there was singing and chanting,

01:41with many of the young protesters holding signs. Denouncing the bill, several waved placards that read

01:47shame, 1241 for the new law sounds like 1984, and Parliament is full of parasites. The activists see

01:54the move as a return to the corruption of a decade ago when Ukraine was ruled by pro-Russian President

01:59Viktor Yanukovych. The gatherings constitute the largest anti-government demonstration since

02:05Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The fight against corruption is seen as closely

02:11tied to Kyu's prospects for integration within them. EU a path that started in 2014, when anti-government

02:18protests ousted Yanukovych in favor of closer TIs with the West. The creation of NABU and SAP was one

02:25of the requirements set by the European Commission and International Monetary Fund more than a decade

02:30ago in order to, move towards a relaxation of visa restrictions between Ukraine and the EU.In 2022,

02:36Kyu was granted the coveted status of EU candidate a significant development that boosted spirits and

02:42strengthened TIs between Ukraine and its European backers. Now, there is concern Zelensky's move may

02:48undermine Kyu's growing proximity to the West, a cause for which many Ukrainians feel their country

02:53continues to pay the price of the Russian onslaught. Corruption lives the future dies, one placard at

02:59the Kyu protest read, Von der Leyen spokesman reiterated that respect for the rule of law and the fight

03:05against corruption were core elements of EU membership, and that as a candidate.Country,

03:10Ukraine was expected to uphold those standards. There cannot be a compromise, he added,

03:15Corruption in Ukraine is endemic, and the country currently ranks 105 out of 180 in Transparency

03:21International's Corruption Perceptions Index. The rating may be low, but it nonetheless marks an

03:27improvement of 39 points since. NABU and SAP were created in 2014. Since then the two bodies have been

03:34involved in far-reaching investigations into the misappropriation of millions of dollars worth

03:39of assets and bribes across various ministries and sectors.In 2023 a joint investigation resulted

03:46in the arrest of the head of Ukraine's Supreme Court, Vsevolodnyaziv, in connection with a $3 million

03:51to, for M. 2.9 million euros bribe. Earlier this month, it also emerged NABU was conducting searches

03:59at the residence of former Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov. Now NABU and SAP will have to operate

04:05under presidential oversight, leading some to wonder whether high-profile figures close to the

04:10government will eschew scrutiny. By curtailing the body's independence the government had destroyed

04:15everything that has been worked on for years. One protester in Kyu told Radio Liberty,

04:20despite a nationwide ban on mass gatherings under martial law, more protests were expected.

04:26In an even greater number of cities across Ukraine on Wednesday evening,

04:30the scandalous new law dealt a critical blow to Ukraine's European integration process.

04:35The Ukrainska Prava website said, while another outlet,

04:38Jerkalo Tizhnyia, warned that Zelenskyy had taken a step towards authoritarianism,

04:43prominent word veteran Masin A.M. told his 54,000 Facebook followers that he had joined the protests.

04:49In Kyu as a duty to the victims of Russia's war, I fought for the nation, for the people in the

04:54democratic system. He added, European allies have also sounded alarm bells. The legislation

05:00hampered Ukraine's way towards the EU, said Germany's foreign minister Johan Waiteful,

05:05and France's European affairs minister Benjamin Haddad urged Kyu to reverse its decision.In a joint

05:11statement on Wednesday, the NABU and SAP said they had been deprived of the guarantees that allowed them

05:16to combat corruption effectively. They also thanked Ukrainians for their principled position,

05:21active support and concern. Wednesday saw the beginning of the third round of talks between

05:26Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul. But the attention of many Ukrainians was firmly on the new bill,

05:33and not just because there was little concrete hope of progress in either Moscow or Kyu,

05:37this is government lawlessness. A Loviev resident called Liza told Radio Liberty,

05:42We don't want to have to fight both Russia and our own government.

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